London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Paddington 1906
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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37
INFANTILE MORTALITY.
During the eight years the deaths due to "diarrhœa" in each third quarter have ranged
from 155 in 1899 to 52 in 1903, viz.:—
| 1899 | 155 | 1901 | 115 | 1903 | 52 | 1905 | 68 |
| 1900 | 118 | 1902 | 68 | 1904 | 119 | 1906 | 103 |
The weekly average for the eight quarters is 5 deaths. Any week in which more than that number of deaths occurs has been deemed to be an "epidemic week." The number of
such "epidemic weeks" in each year has been:—
•
| 1899 | 9 | maximum number of deaths in any week 30, in the 6th week; | |
| 1900 | 6 | 20, | 9th |
| 1901 | 9 | „ „ 16, | 9th |
| 1902 | 5 | „ „ 12, | 11th |
| 1903 | 3 | „ „ 8, | 10th |
| 1904 | 7 | „ „ 21, | 6th and 7th weeks; |
| 1905 | 5 | „ „ 12, | 5th and 7th |
| 1906 | 8 | „ „ 25, | 10th |
| In one week during 1903 and in two weeks during 1906 no deaths from these causes occurred. | |||
The greatest contrast is between the years 1899 and 1903. The meteorological elements for the three years 1899, 1903 and 1906 are compared below:—
| Mean temperature of air. | (No. of weeks.) | Mean temperature of earth, at 3 ft. | (No. of weeks.) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899. | . 1903. | 1906. | 1899. | 1903. | 1906. | ||
| 50° | 2 | 2 | 1 | 55° | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| 55° | 1 | 6 | 2 | 60° | 5 | 9 | 11 |
| 60° | 4 | 5 | 5 | 65° | 7 | — | — |
| 65° | 5 | — | 5 | ||||
| 70° | 1 | — | — | ||||
Rainfall measured.
| Inches. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899. | 1903. | 1906. | 1899. | 1903. | 1906. | ||
| .00 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| .01 | 5 | 9 | 11 | .50 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| .05 | 7 | — | — | 1.00 | 1 | 5 | — |
Precipitations (total) of one inch or more occurred in the following weeks:—
1899 1.01 in. (13th).
1903 3.18 in. (3rd) ; 1.52 in. (4th); 2.11 in. (6th); 1.11 in. (7th); 1.23 in. (8th).
The quarters (as wholes) are compared below:—
| 1899. | 1903. | 1906. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean temperature of air | 63.1° | 59.0° | 62.4° |
| Mean temperature of earth at 3 ft. | 64.03° | 60.18° | 62.08° |
| Total rainfall (inches) | 3.83 | 12.32 | 3.78 |